Department of Health and Social Care

Influenza: Vaccination

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government, following thepublication of the seasonal flu immunisation programme letter on 25 May, what steps they are taking to ensure that there is a multi-supplier market to reduce the risk of shortages and delays.

Lord Markham: National Health Service providers determine how many seasonal flu vaccines to buy each year based on their local populations, eligible cohorts and uptake ambitions for the NHS programme as outlined in the annual flu system letter. The letter, published on the 25 May 2023, is based on the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) who review the latest evidence on flu vaccines and advise on the type of vaccine to be offered to different age groups and on which vaccines should be prioritised for various at-risk groups.General Practitioners and community pharmacists are responsible for ordering their own flu vaccines for the adult population from suppliers. These are then used to deliver the national flu vaccination programme, with deliveries phased through the season to help mitigate against risks of wastage, cold chain failure and to adequately cover the peaks and flows of local demand.NHS England encourage their contractors to purchase vaccines from more than one manufacturer to mitigate against the risk of supply issues. Regional NHS England commissioners, in partnership with their local systems, also make assessments of the amount of vaccine available in their area to ensure there is enough supply to meet public demand.The United Kingdom Health Security Agency secures and supplies sufficient volume of flu vaccines used in the children’s flu programme to ensure that eligible children aged less than 18 years who present for vaccination can be offered an appropriate vaccine.

Social Services: Finance

Lord Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take, if any, to increase funding for social care.

Lord Markham: The Government has already provided a historic increase in funding for social care. The Government announced at the Autumn Statement that up to £7.5 billion of additional funding would be available for Adult Social Care and discharge over the next two years. This historic funding boost should put the adult social care system on a stronger financial footing and help local authorities address waiting lists, low fee rates, and workforce pressures in the sector. We will keep working closely with local authorities and the adult social care sector to understand current pressures on service delivery and budgets.

Medical Treatments

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Markham on 25 May (HL Deb col 1032), whether theNational Institute for Health and Care Excellence is currently considering changing the reference case discount rate for costs and health effects that is applied to new health technologies.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Markham on 25 May (HL Deb col 1032),whether decisions about changes to the reference case discount rate applied to new technologies for costs and health effects are a matter solely for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Lord Markham: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is responsible for developing the methods and processes it uses in the development of its guidance, including the discount rate, taking into account its responsibilities under Managing Public Money.NICE concluded a comprehensive review of its methods and processes in 2022, including consideration of the discount rate. Following public consultation, NICE concluded that it was appropriate to maintain the existing rate of 3.5% due to policy and fiscal implications and interdependencies beyond the scope of the review. The Department and HM Treasury were engaged throughout the review.NICE is introducing a new modular approach for further methods updates, where it will work with its system partners on the methodological priorities for the healthcare system.

Mental Illness: Police Custody

Lord Bradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what, if any, actions they intend to take to ensure that people suffering from mental health crises are not taken to a police custody suite.

Lord Markham: We have announced the development of a new National Partnership Agreement between policing and health partners to ensure that the right agency responds to a mental health incident, removing police involvement earlier in the process where it’s not needed. This will support roll-out of the Right Care, Right Person approach, under which police will only engage in a mental health incident when there is a real and immediate risk to life or serious harm.We have already achieved a significant reduction in the number of people taken to a police cell as a place of safety in recent years. In 2021/22 a police station was used as a place of safety 254 times in England out of a total of 36,594 Section 136 incidents. This represents less than 1% of incidents and is down from an estimated 8,667 times out of a total of 23,907 such incidents in 2011/12. The Draft Mental Health Bill contains provisions to remove police stations as a place of safety, so that people held under Section 136 will be in more appropriate health-based settings when in crisis or waiting for a place on a specialist ward. The Bill will be introduced when parliamentary time allows.On 23 January 2023 we set out details on how £150 million of capital investment, first announced in the 2021 Spending Review, will be used to build mental health urgent and emergency care infrastructure. This includes £7 million for specialised mental health ambulances across the country to provide better care and support for people experiencing a mental health crisis.We are also funding over 160 wider capital schemes including to provide and improve crisis cafes, crisis houses, mental health urgent care centres, health-based places of safety and broader improvements to crisis lines and emergency departments. This will mean care can be provided in more appropriate spaces for those in need, and will reduce pressure on wider parts of the system including accident and emergency.

Respiratory System: Diseases

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent respiratory illnesses, such as respiratory syncytial virus, in babies and infants this winter to free up paediatric elective care.

Lord Markham: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) usually causes a mild self-limiting respiratory infection in adults and children, but it can be severe in infants. The United Kingdom has a programme of immunisation with the monoclonal antibody immunisation to reduce the risk of severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease in babies at high risk of complications including those with major congenital heart disease and complications of prematurity.United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) monitors levels of RSV activity in England, publishes information throughout the RSV season and works closely with NHS health professionals to support the healthcare system in responding to RSV activity.The NHS plans for a wide range of scenarios ahead of each winter and will continue to adapt plans based on respiratory infections surveillance, including RSV, and NHS activity data. This includes specialised commissioning-led winter surge planning for paediatric critical care, as well as wider winter planning.For RSV specifically, this includes the selective seasonal offer of monoclonal antibody to infants at high risk, which continues to be managed and reviewed in accordance with advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). Advice has recently been given by JCVI for specialised commissioning to work towards replacing palivizumab with nirsevimab. Nirsevimab is an extended half-life monoclonal antibody which should give protection for at least six months and possibly longer, unlike palivizumab which requires administration of monthly doses in a series of five monthly intramuscular injections to infants and children during the RSV season. NHS England is working with partners, including UKHSA, to plan for and manage the transition from palivizumab to nirsevimab.UKHSA have also highlighted the signs and symptoms of RSV, and steps that people can take to reduce infections through social media, online content and national and regional media.JCVI is currently evaluating RSV infant immunisations and maternal vaccinations for programme use and the Government awaits their recommendations.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Babies

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the death of babies under six months of age from respiratory syncytial virus.

Lord Markham: The United Kingdom has a programme of immunisation with the monoclonal antibody immunisation to reduce the risk of severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease in babies at high risk of complications including those with major congenital heart disease and complications of prematurity.United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) publishes weekly surveillance reports on the levels of RSV in England, and on bronchiolitis as the condition associated with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in babies and young children, to make the system aware of any changes in epidemiology. In 2022, UKHSA surveillance led to the timely early activation of the NHS monoclonal antibody prevention programme for infants at highest risk from RSV infection.UKHSA have also highlighted the signs and symptoms of RSV, and steps that people can take to reduce infections through social media, online content and national and regional media, including ways of reducing the risks of death to babies.

Coronavirus: Immunosuppression

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask His Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers byLord Markham on 11 April (HL6530) and 12 April (HL6941), in which he stated that the DHSC will continue to fund and provide COVID-19 testing and that the welfare of immunocompromised patients remains a priority for the spring booster vaccinations, by what means (1) people eligible for priority treatment when testing positive will be identified and prioritised with the removal of the Webview and Shielding Persons List, and (2) those eligible for future vaccinations because of their vulnerable status will be identified.

Lord Markham: The Government will maintain a range of capabilities to protect those at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Improved treatments and the continued effectiveness of vaccines mean that most people are at much lower risk compared to earlier in the pandemic.Integrated care boards (ICBs) now have a statutory duty to provide funding within 90 days of the publication of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance to ensure that the recommended treatments are available for National Health Service patients. To support the transition to routine NHS services NHS England has written to potentially eligible individuals and local NHS systems, healthcare professionals and patient groups to update them on the eligibility criteria and upcoming changes to the way treatments are accessed. ICBs have also been asked to work with local service providers to develop and communicate access arrangements to ensure prompt access to treatments. Newly eligible individuals will be advised on how to access COVID-19 treatments following diagnosis of a qualifying condition or commencement of qualifying treatment.Eligible individuals should be offered the spring booster providing there is at least three months from the previous dose. General practitioners will use updated search systems to identify eligible individuals and invite them to book an appointment online or via a walk-in service.

IVF

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 6 June (HL7725), how the implantation failure rate for pronuclear transfer compares to that for all other treatments regulated by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.

Lord Markham: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has advised that it is not possible to compare the implantation failure rate for pronuclear transfer to all other treatments it regulates as the number to date is too low.

Corticobasal Degeneration

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what support isavailable for people suffering from corticobasal degeneration.

Lord Markham: Patients with a diagnosis of corticobasal degeneration would be supported through the usual range of commissioned health and social care services. Depending on the needs of an individual, support may be provided through a range of commissioned health and social care services including their general practitioner, general neurology services, specialised neurology services and social care. There is not a separately commissioned service for this condition.

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what support is available for people with progressive supranuclear palsy.

Lord Markham: Patients with a diagnosis of progressive supranuclear palsy would be supported through the usual range of commissioned health and social care services. Depending on the needs of an individual, support may be provided through a range of commissioned health and social care services including their general practitioner, general neurology services, specialised neurology services and social care. There is not a separately commissioned service for progressive supranuclear palsy.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Housing: Construction

Earl Cathcart: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Home Builders Federation Planning for Economic and Social Failure, published in March 2023, and its finding that Natural England's advice regarding nutrient neutrality and water neutrality potentially reduce new housing supply by 43,000 units.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Nutrient pollution is an urgent problem for our freshwater habitats and rivers, many of which are internationally important for wildlife. While the government recognises the need to protect these habitats, and is taking steps to address the underlying pollution, it is important to acknowledge the significant burden nutrient neutrality has placed on housebuilders despite the limited impact extra wastewater from residents in new developments has on waterbodies.As of March 2022, 74 local planning authorities have received advice from Natural England, issued in line with their statutory duties and relevant case law, across 27 catchments (equating to 14% of England's land area) which has effectively stalled housing development in these areas given the lack of available mitigation schemes, creating a major barrier to the government's ambition of delivering 300,000 homes per year by the mid-2020s.That is why DLUHC have launched the Local Nutrient Mitigation Fund which will boost the supply of mitigation available locally, by funding high quality bids submitted by Local Authorities. This will complement the Natural England-led Nutrient Mitigation Scheme which is already delivering the first credits in the Tees Catchment. We are also placing an obligation on water companies to upgrade wastewater treatment works in affected catchments by 2030, stopping pollution at source and reducing the mitigation burden on development.We are keeping further possible actions under review.

Department for Education

Pupils: Transgender People

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask His Majesty's Government whatguidance they have issued to schools on disciplinary action associated with teachers who refer to transgender pupils by their legal and biological sex.

Baroness Barran: The Department is working with the Minister for Women and Equalities to develop guidance to support schools in relation to gender questioning pupils. The Department will be finalising the draft guidance shortly and will hold a full public consultation on it.All schools are required to have a disciplinary process that deals with matters relating to staff misconduct. The Department does not provide specific guidance on this issue.The School Staffing (England) Regulations 2009 set out the procedures that governing bodies in maintained schools must establish for the regulation of the conduct and discipline of staff at the school. They should ensure that they are fully aware of their responsibilities under employment law, in both establishing procedures and how those procedures are undertaken. Advice can be found on GOV.UK at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1026591/Staff_Advice_Handbook_Update_-_October_2021.pdf.The Teachers’ Standards came into effect from 1 September 2012, and set a clear baseline of expectation for the professional practice and conduct of the vast majority of teachers from the point of qualification. The Teachers’ Standards must be used by maintained schools to assess teachers’ performance as part of the annual appraisal process. The Teaching Regulation Agency uses Part Two of the Teachers’ Standards, relating to professional and personal conduct, to assess cases of serious misconduct against teachers in any educational setting. The standards can be accessed at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1040274/Teachers__Standards_Dec_2021.pdf.Part Two of the Teachers’ Standards notes that teachers are expected to demonstrate high standards of personal and professional conduct. This includes treating pupils with dignity, having regard for the need to safeguard pupils’ well-being, and showing tolerance of and respect for the rights of others.

Arabic and Religion: Education

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 15 May (HL7542), what assessment they have made of any implications for national security arising from the funding received by schools from Qatar Foundation International on the teaching of religious education and Arabic in schools.

Baroness Barran: The Department does not receive funding from Qatar Foundation International (QFI) for curriculum programmes that support the teaching of religious education (RE) or Arabic in schools in England. We are aware that QFI partner with primary and secondary schools in the UK, the British Council, and other philanthropic organisations. In their partnership with the British Council, they offer grants to schools to introduce, improve or expand provision for Arabic.When accepting funds from third party individuals or organisations, we expect schools to follow the guidance of the local authority or the academy trust handbook.Independent schools, like all private businesses, are required to abide by all relevant legislation.

Primary Education: Free School Meals

Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will change the conditions on which Universal Infant Free School Meal grants are made to ensure that the grants are expended solely on improving the quality of school meals to meet their child obesity targets.

Baroness Barran: Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) are funded through a direct grant to schools. To recognise the pressures facing schools, the Department announced an £18 million increase to the per-pupil funding rate for UIFSM to support with costs around food, transport and staff wages.UIFSM helps to improve children’s education, boost their health and save parents around £400 a year. There are no plans to change the conditions in which these grants are made. The Department is continuing to review funding in order to ensure that schools continue to be able to provide healthy and nutritious meals in school. The funding for the free school meal (FSM) factor is increasing in line with the latest available GDP deflator forecast when the New Funding Formula (NFF) was published in July 2022.Schools receive their provisional allocations for UIFSM in June based on the final allocation of the previous academic year. Schools receive a subsequent allocation of revenue funding in early summer, adjusted either up or down to reflect actual number of meals taken. This is calculated using an average taken from the October and January Censuses.Local Authorities can decide whether they should top up the UIFSM allocation from their general maintenance and improvement budgets in the light of local circumstances, as they would do in any other year.

Oak National Academy: Publications

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they made of the impact on the educational publishing export market of not including geographical restrictions in the licensing structure for Oak National Academy resources.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they gave to any representations made by the publishing industry in making Oak National Academy resources available on an Open Government Licence without geographical restrictions.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government whether a market impact assessment to inform the decision not to include geographical restrictions in the licensing structure for Oak National Academy resources was conducted; and if so, what plans they have for its publication.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government whether providers of education materials to Oak National Academy were informed in advance that such materials would be make available on an Open Government Licence without geographical restrictions, and what steps they are taking with providers to ensure such materials do not undercut the educational publishing export market.

Baroness Barran: The Department published its Full Business Case and Market Impact Assessment setting out the rationale for an intervention by the Government to establish an arm’s length body (ALB) incorporating Oak National Academy (ONA). The ALB supports teachers to teach and enables pupils to access a high quality curriculum, whilst also reducing teacher workload.Following a review, ONA made the decision to make the majority of its new curricula and teaching resources available on an Open Government Licence (OGL). This decision was informed by an assessment of the implications conducted by ONA’s Accounting Officer.Under the UK Government Licensing Framework (UKGLF), it is Government policy that Government funded materials will be available on a licence which allows anyone to access them directly. This ensures that the benefit of public funding is maximised, promotes transparency, and enables wider economic and social gain. In making its decision to make new materials available on an OGL, ONA carried out a review which incorporated representations by the publishing industry. These were considered alongside the views of others and Oak’s remit.The decision to publish Oak’s content on an OGL only applies to the curriculum resources that are currently being developed with Oak’s new curriculum partners, and who have agreed to these terms as part of their contract. OGL does not apply to existing curriculum resources that were transferred at the ALB’s creation.All of ONA’s new curriculum partners, with whom they are working to develop new high quality curriculum content, were aware of, and agreed to, licensing terms up to and including an OGL. This was confirmed as part of the procurement and contracting process which launched in autumn 2022. Following the decision of the Oak Board to make Oak’s curriculum resources available on an OGL without geo-restrictions, these arrangements were confirmed with Oak’s new curriculum partners.Under ONA’s founding principles, no individual can make a direct profit from its materials. ONA’s resources continuing to be freely available to all removes the ability for others to make direct profit from its content. The decision of ONA’s Board not to geo-restrict ONA’s new materials is consistent with Government policy on licensing, more generally, and with the founding principles of ONA itself.Oak’s resources are based on the English National Curriculum and its remit is to support UK teachers and pupils. Oak is not undertaking any activities to promote or grow use of its resources overseas. Oak will continue to monitor international use to ensure it remains minimal and will continue to focus on delivering its objectives in the UK and will not promote its resources abroad.

Oak National Academy: Publications

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what advice they sought, and from whom, when considering the licensing model for Oak National Academy resources.

Baroness Barran: Oak National Academy’s Board made the decision on its approach to licensing. Oak decided to make the majority of its resources available on an Open Government Licence (OGL). This decision considered that, under the UK Government Licensing Framework (UKGLF), it is government policy that government funded materials should be available on a licence which allows anyone to access them directly. This ensures that the benefit of public funding is maximised, promotes transparency, and enables wider economic and social gain.When deciding to make new materials available on an OGL, Oak carried out a review of end-user licensing terms, which incorporated advice and feedback from a range of organisations, including schools and multi-academy trusts, curriculum organisations, EdTech providers, publishers, and trade bodies.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Kosovo: Politics and Government

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) political, and (2) security, situationin Kosovo, following the recent unrest in that country; and what discussions they have had with (a) EU partners, and (b) NATO partners, regarding that situation.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Following the violent protests which started on 26 May, the situation in northern Kosovo has calmed but remains tense. We condemned the unprovoked attack on NATO troops on 29 May and remain in close contact with NATO Allies. We are urging immediate steps to de-escalate, and a return to dialogue. The Foreign Secretary reiterated these messages when he spoke to the Kosovo Prime Minister on 8 June and Serbian Prime Minister on 13 June, as did the Prime Minister's Envoy, Lord Peach when he spoke to President Vucic on 7 June. I [Lord Ahmad] discussed the current tensions with Kosovo's Foreign Minister on 8 June.

Iran: Freedom of Religion

Lord Patten: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made any comparison of the freedom of religion of UK subjects in Iran with the freedom of religion of Iranian citizens in the UK.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Iran has a record of discrimination, harassment and targeting of minority religious and ethnic communities. Those detained in Iran over Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) issues have historically included individuals with links to the UK. As set out in FCDO travel advice, British and British-Iranian dual nationals are at significant risk of arbitrary arrest, questioning or detention in Iran.The UK Government remains committed to championing FoRB in Iran and around the world. In July 2022, we hosted the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief in London. We raise FoRB at all appropriate opportunities with Iran and we continue to take action with the international community to press Iran to improve its dire human rights.

Ukraine: Security

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the case for a more sustainable security solution for Ukraine, including for basic infrastructure.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is providing sustained support to help Ukraine defend itself, secure its free and democratic future, and deter future Russian aggression. This includes £2.3 billion in military assistance last year, which we will match in 2023, including air defence systems and missiles to help protect Ukraine's critical national infrastructure. We are working with allies to agree longer-term multilateral and bilateral security arrangements. On 21-22 June we will also host the Ukraine Recovery Conference, which will mobilise the international community, and showcase the strength and potential of the private sector, to help secure Ukraine's long-term economic future.

Ukraine: Humanitarian Aid

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assistance they areproviding to the government of Ukraine to ensure that their shelters in (1) Kyiv and (2) other parts of Ukraine, are adequate, in terms of capacity, conditions and safety.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government, in partnership with the Government of Poland, provided approximately £10 million to a project which supports the construction of shelter communities in Lviv and Poltava through the Polish organisation International Solidarity Fund (ISF). The sites will provide accommodation for 702 internally displaced persons in Ukraine. The project received technical assistance from a shelter specialist who reviewed plans, visited the site to ensure it was satisfactory and provided advice to ensure appropriate handover arrangements to local authorities. FCDO remains in contact with ISF, as per FCDO programme standards for all implementing partners, to monitor ongoing implementation.

Cabinet Office

Government Departments: Construction

Lord Aberdare: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the current value of Government departments' directly procured construction contracts where project bank accounts are being used, as recommended in the Construction Playbook.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Construction Playbook reiterates the government's approach to procuring construction projects to maximise value for money and deliver high quality outcomes. The Playbook is clear that contracting authorities should use project bank accounts unless there are compelling reasons not to. The Cabinet Office does not collect information centrally on the value of contracts that use project bank accounts.

Treasury

Windows and Doors: VAT

Lord Foster of Bath: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to their consultationVAT energy saving materials relief – improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions, which closed on 31 May, what assessment they have made ofthe benefit of (1) replacement windows, (2) doors, (3) roof lights, and (4) roof windows, being eligible for such relief.

Baroness Penn: Following the VAT on energy saving materials call for evidence, HMRC has received a large volume of responses. HMRC and HM Treasury are in the process of analysing the responses and will publish a summary of responses and announce next steps in due course. It is worth highlighting that, as set out in the call for evidence, this VAT relief is targeted at materials that are installed in residential accommodation primarily for the purposes of improving energy efficiency, and should be a cost effective and practical lever for encouraging installation of any qualifying materials.

Department for Work and Pensions

Carer's Allowance: Young People

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to review the eligibility for Carer’s Allowance for young adult carers in England who are studying for more than 21 hours each week, to support them to stay in full-time education while managing their caring responsibilities.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: Carer's Allowance was introduced principally to provide a measure of financial support and recognition for people who forgo the opportunity of full-time work in order to care for a severely disabled person for at least 35 hours a week.      The Government thinks it is right that people in full-time education should be supported by the educational maintenance system, via its range of loans and grants, and not the social security benefit system. That is why, as a general principle, full-time students are usually precluded from entitlement to income-related and income-maintenance benefits.There are currently no plans to change the full-time education rules for Carer’s Allowance, but carers are able to undertake part-time education and still receive Carer’s Allowance.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Lord Field of Birkenhead: To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made on their plans to audio-record all assessments for disability benefit by default.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: Audio recording is now available for face-to-face and telephone assessments with all the department’s assessment providers. These arrangements are publicised on providers’ websites and in the assessment invitation letters to claimants. The department remains committed to offering audio recording on an opt-in basis, giving claimants the choice of having their assessment recorded.

Disability Living Allowance and Universal Credit: Work Capability Assessment

Lord Field of Birkenhead: To ask His Majesty's Government what were (1) the average waiting times, and (2) the average length of waiting lists, for assessments for (a) Child Disability Living Allowance, and (b) the limited capability for work element of Universal Credit, for each of the most recent period of six months for which data are available.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: In the case of Disability Living Allowance for children, the data is not available. Decisions are made on behalf of the Secretary of State by Case Managers from evidence supplied by parents and medical professionals, and do not require an assessment. In Universal Credit (UC) a claimant is only deemed to have limited capability for work after an assessment has been completed, and a decision made by a DWP decision maker. We have, therefore, interpreted part 2 of your question to mean the total number of UC claimants, who have been referred to the assessment provider, and are awaiting a Work Capability Assessment (WCA) in each of the most recent period of six months for which data are available. To manage the assessment service effectively, we hold the number of outstanding WCA referrals made to the assessment provider. The number of UC WCA referrals outstanding at the end of each month are shown in the table below: UCOct-22Nov-22Dec-22Jan-23Feb-23Mar-23Total outstanding227,000222,000215,000204,000192,000180,000 Please note:All volumes have been rounded to the nearest 1000;All of the above data is derived from contractual management information produced by the assessment providers; andThe above data is derived from unpublished management information which is collected for internal departmental use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics Publication Standards. There will always be outstanding referrals in the assessment process, from those claimants, who have been asked to return a Capability for Work questionnaire and have yet to do so, through to those with an assessment scheduled in the coming weeks. The department closely monitors the levels of outstanding referrals. Not all of these cases will require the claimant to attend an assessment. Where there is already sufficient evidence to determine benefit entitlement, claims will be assessed on a paper basis. With regards to waiting times, the initial release of Official Statistics on UC WCA covers key metrics on the number of people on the UC health journey, as well as WCA decisions and outcomes. As set out in the published Release Strategy, we are taking a phased approach to development and publication of additional statistics accounting for the complexity of source data that is in discovery. Future releases are planned to include new/repeat claims, medical conditions, Mandatory Reconsiderations and Appeals, and clearance times.

Home Office

Asylum: Employment

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to allow asylum seekers the right to work while waiting for their asylum claims to be resolved.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: Asylum seekers are allowed to work in the UK if their claim has been outstanding for 12 months or more, through no fault of their own. Those permitted to work are restricted to jobs on the Shortage Occupation List. It is important that our policy approach distinguishes between those who need protection and those seeking to work here who can apply for a work visa under the Immigration Rules. Asylum seekers do not need to make perilous journeys in order to seek employment in the United Kingdom. There are various safe and legal routes for those seeking to work in the UK under the Points Based System.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Electricity: Heating

Lord Birt: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to ensure that the cost of using electricity to heat homes and buildings will fall below the cost of using hydrocarbons.

Lord Callanan: The Government understands that green, lower-carbon products are more efficient and cheaper to run. However, current distortions in electricity and gas prices do not always make this the case. We want to make it easier for consumers to make the switch to green products, such as heat pumps, by ‘rebalancing’ prices between electricity and gas to remove these distortions. In ‘Powering Up Britain’, the Government accepted the recommendation from the Independent Review of Net Zero that Government should commit to outlining a clear approach to gas and electricity price rebalancing by the end of 2023/24 and should make significant progress affecting relative prices by the end of 2024. The Department will provide further information in the coming year.

Energy Price Guarantee

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to extend theEnergy Price Guarantee beyond June 2023.

Lord Callanan: The Energy Price Guarantee will remain in place until March 2024 as a safety net, only reducing the costs of domestic energy if prices were to increase significantly during this period.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Music Venues: Finance

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the potential merits of a ticket levy on large music events and arenas to increase funding for grassroots music.

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask His Majesty's Government what support is available to those managing small music venues to enable them to acquire the freehold ownership of those venues in order to create protected leaseholds.

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits that would accrue from the extension of social investment tax relief to grassroots music venues.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Government is committed to supporting grassroots music venues, which are crucial to our world-leading music sector.The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is in regular discussions with all parts of the music industry, including live venues of all sizes across the country. The Department works closely with industry representatives and across Government to ensure that the live music sector continues to thrive.That is why we are helping the sector to develop the next generation of British talent by providing an additional £5 million to Arts Council England’s successful Supporting Grassroots Live Music fund, as announced in the Creative Industries Sector Vision on 14 June. This fund will enable venues to increase support for young, emerging, and diverse artists, improve equipment and physical infrastructure, and support venues to become more financially resilient and to develop new income streams.This is in addition to other support the Government has provided to the live music sector, including over £3 million during the pandemic from the Emergency Grassroots Music Venues Fund, and through Arts Council England’s Supporting Grassroots Live Music fund since 2019.